Wheeled toy.



w. A. covENTRY.

WHEELED TOY.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 2B, 19H..

Patented Aug. 7, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. A. COVENTRY.

WHEELED TOY.

APPLICATION FILED MARJB. 1917.

Patented Aug. 7', 1917.

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2 SHEETSwSHEET 2| :fir-5 .l sich.

WILLIAM A. COVENTRY, 0F LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIG-NOR TO GREY IRONCASTING COMPANY, 0F MOUNT J' OY, PENNSYLVANIA, A. CORPORATION 0F PENN-SYLVANIA.

WHEELED TOY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. "Z, 1917.

Application filed March 28, 1917. Serial No. 157,920.

To all 'whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM A. CovEN- TRY, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of Lancaster, in the county ofLancaster, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in l/Vheeled Toys, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates broadly to toys and more particularly to a toycar of novel construction.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce a toycomprising a representation of a railway carand so constructed as to becheap to manufacture and economical to assemble. t

A further object of the present invention is to provide a toy car of thecharacter specified with automatic coupling devices whereby apluralityof such cars may be coupled together as a train.

A still further object of the present invention includes a novel roofstructure for toy cars and the like.

Other and further objects of the present inventionwill in part beobvious and will in part be pointed out hereinafter in the specificationfollowing by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like partsare represented by like characters throughout the several figures ofthedrawings.

VFigure l is a view showing an elevation of a car constructed inaccordance with the present invention. Y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device disclosed in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 isa section taken on 3*?) of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the preferred form of roof construction.

Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified form of roof construction.

Fig. 6 is a view` showing the operation of section line the couplingdevice as illustrated by an ele- 4 formed the complete car bodyincluding the roof. In this type of construction any slight variationbetween the portions forming the roof left an unsightly opening on thecenter llne of the car in the middle portion of the roof which is themost prominent portion of the toy when it is on the floor where suchtoys are usually placed. Also in the art of toy cars it has been commonto provide depending portions through which truck axles, usuallycomprising pieces of wire, were adapted to extend with the wheels on theoutside of the truck frames. This construction necessitates thethreading of the axles through the bearings and the riveting of thewheels on the axles so that the wheels are on the outside of the truckframes. Also this construction necessitates more or less skilled laborin assembly of the parts. Still further the prior art shows varioustypes of couplers particularly wire devices for forming the individualcars into trains. Such devices are not ordinarily automatic in theiroperation, and furthermore, the introduction of wire devices brings inan added expense in both assembly and production.

The present invention comprises more particularly the production of atoy car obviating the foregoing diiculties as specied inherent in theknown prior art and also to provide a novel construction. A toy car inaccordance with the present invention comprises a representation of acar wherein the body portion of the car is formed by mating a pair ofsimilar side castings. Each side casting is identical in shape and formand all of the side castings might be made from a single mold. They areso constructed that when mated interlocking portions lit properly toposition and aline the side members. These side members are suitablyspaced by vestibule partitions and vestibule floors which extendinwardly to the middle of the assembled car. The roof comprises acontinuous sheet of metal shaped to conform to the outline of a car roofand adapted to be secured to the portion of the sides of the carrepresenting the sides of the upper deck of a passenger car. The truckframes are cast integral with the sides of the cars and each pair ofwheels is cast integral with the axle which terminates in stub axlesextending from each wheel. These stubaxles extend through the bearingsin the truck the other end.

the vestibule floor is carried by each side from `side to side of thecai:

An automatic coupler is provided and con'iprises a kcast iron latch insubstantially U-shaped form with the latch portion above the vestibulecai' floor and a weighted porytion below the vestibule car iiooiwith afiat connecting portion extending through an opening one-half of whichis provided in each section oit the vestibule cai floor. The

latcli portion oi" the coupler is adapted to latch into and engage asimilar opening in the end of an adjacent car, whereby in order toenable the cars to be formed into trains each car carries a latch memberat oneend and is pri'ivided with a coupler opening at This constructionprovides a neat, ,cheap and satisfactory toy car.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, the side sections 1 areprovided with vestibule iioors 2 wherein one-half of section, and theside sectionat one end is provided with a projection i and at theopposite vend is formed with a companion depression 5 whereby when twoside sections are paired together the projection 4depressionA interlockas illustrated in Fig. 7. Each section 1 is also provided with a ifloorsill 6 which extends longitudinally of the section from the vestibulefloor at one end to the vestibule )floor at the opposite end, Thevestibules at each end are likewise provided with veiifticalpartitions?, ones-half of such partitions being carried by each sidesection andthese partitions are likewise provided with proj ectiiigtongues 8 and corresponding receptacles 9 whereby these members S and 9also interlock when the side sections are suitably paired as illustratedin Figs. i and 5. The side members 1 carry suitable truck `fraiiies 1.0which may be provided with a plurality of bearings 11 comprising merelyopenings through the truck frames. Pairs of wheels 12 are preferablycast integral with an axle 1l and provided with stub axles 15 thatextend outwardly from the wheels 1 2 and tliiiough the bearings 11. Theside sections` 1 may be secured together by means of a through rivet 16which when suitably positioned firmly locks the two side sectionstogether. The roof preferably is formed of sheet metal 17 shaped `tosimulate a car rooi' and may be provided with linls18 that are adaptedto be extended. through the 20 of the 'upper deck of the car.

veiitilating openings 1 9 in the side members If desired the roof sheetmay be positioned by bending the edges to constitute langes 21 whichextend under these side members 2O as shown in Fig. 5. A

The coupler mechanism comprises a suitable cast metal latch ofsubstantially Un shaped form wherein the latch arm 22 carrying the latchhead 24 is mounted above the vestibule car floor and the weight 25 isbeneath the vestibule ycar floor with a lat connecting portion. `26integrally securing the latch arm to the weight. Preferably the metaladjacent the pivot of the latch is rounded, as at 27 and 28, tofacilitate theV action oi' the coupler. Clpenings Q19, one-half of whichis provided in each vestibule car floor, comprise eithel1 a suitablemount for the coupler latch or a suitable opening into which the couplerhead may interlock to couple individual cars into trains (see Figs. 6and 7). The rounded ,end .30 on the latch head and the coupler weight 25cause the coupler latch to bev automatic in its .operation so that whentwo cars are suitably moved with their vestibules adjacent to cause onecar to approach the other the coupler latch automatically secures thecars of a .Car body, each Side `inernbia" having horizontal vestibulefloor portions. extending substantially to the middle .of .the car atthe ends of the car, vertical vestibule portions at the ends of the carand extending to the middle oi the car adjacentthe upper portion of thecar, iioor supports extending along the lower inner sides of the car, a.sheet metal floor adapted to be supported upon the said floor supports,and means comprising a sheet metal roof to lock the sides of the cartogether.

2f A toy Car formed .of sido members of identically the same shape and`each side membol1 comprising substantially one-half of the car body,truck frames integral with the said sides and vextending beneath thesaid sides and provided with bearing openings, truck members comprisingwheels with an axle betweentlie wheels and Stub axles extending outsideof the wheels and adapted to extend into and be supported within theSaid bearings, and means for locking the sides together to form acomplete car and retain said trucks within said truck frames.

3. As an article of manufacture, a toy car comprising in combination, apair of sides formed of identically the same shape and adapted whenreversed to'be complemental one to the other, vestibule floors formedintegral with said side members and extending to the middle of said car,vestibule partitions adjacent the ends of the car and having portionsextending to the middle of the car, a sheet metal roof over the upperportion of said sections and adapted to lock the upper portion of saidsections together, and rivet means for locking the sides of said cartogether.

4l. In a toy car of the character described, a coupling mechanismcomprising a toy car structure provided with an opening in the Y Gopiesot this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the endplatform thereof, a coupler latch pivotally mounted within said opening,said coupler latch having an arm provided with a latch head on the endof said arm, a downwardly extending member integral with the other endof said arm, and a weight integral with said downwardly extendingmember, said weight being positioned toward said latch head wherebygravity acting on said weight and latch head returns said latch head tohorizontal position when same is released after being displaced upwardlyto enable said latch head to engage an opening in an adjacent car tocouple the cars together.

5. In a toy car of the character described, an automatic couplingmechanism comprising a coupler having an arm extending above the endplatform of a car, a latch head on the end of said arm and positionedoutwardly beyond the end of said platform, the advancing face of saidlatch head being downwardly inclined, aV weighted arm extending beneathsaid iirst mentioned arm, and means connecting said weighted arm and thefirst mentioned arm to permit the latch head to be raised and droppedinto an opening in an adjacent car to couple the cars together.

6. In a toy car of the character described, an automatic couplercomprising an arm normally resting on the end platform in substantiallya horizontal position, a coupler latch head on the outer end of said armand extending outwardly from said platform, the advancing face of saidcoupler head being suitably inclined to permit said coupler head toengage and be retained Within a suitable interlocking recess in anadjacent car, and means for enabling said arm to pivot relatively tosaid car platform to perfinit said coupler head to interlock as speci-WILLIAM A. COVENTRY.

Gommssioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

